Driver Attention Monitoring Using Gaze and Contact Fallback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle monitoring systems that rely on physical contact with the steering wheel are inadequate for off-road environments where steering angles and movements make it inconvenient for drivers to maintain contact, and these systems fail to accurately assess driver attention when the occupant is obscured.
Innovation Solution
A control system that uses a combination of gaze signals from imaging data and contact signals to determine an occupant's attention to the driving task, allowing for accurate assessment even when the occupant is obscured, by employing gaze-duration and gaze-distance measures and updating these measures based on the occupant's gaze direction and velocity, and adjusting thresholds for different driving regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical contact monitoring with the steering wheel is used to determine driver attention, then the monitoring system is simple and reliable, but it becomes inadequate in off-road environments where steering wheel movement makes maintaining contact inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system is designed to perform multiple functions by switching between different monitoring modes: physical contact monitoring for normal road conditions and gaze direction monitoring for off-road conditions. This multi-functionality allows the system to adapt to various driving environments while maintaining reliable driver attention assessment
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between different monitoring strategies based on detected steering wheel movement characteristics. When large steering angles or unusual movement patterns are detected (indicative of off-road conditions), the system transitions from contact-based monitoring to gaze-based monitoring, making the monitoring approach adaptive to current driving conditions
2Measurement precision
If the imaging means continuously monitors the occupant's gaze direction, then the system can accurately assess driver attention, but the system complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of steering wheel movement characteristics and driving conditions before activating the more complex gaze monitoring functions. By first detecting simple parameters like steering angle and movement rate, the system can determine when sophisticated imaging analysis is actually needed, reducing unnecessary computational complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses steering wheel movement data as an intermediary indicator to trigger gaze monitoring. Rather than continuously analyzing complex image data, the system first monitors the simpler steering wheel parameters and only activates the imaging means when the intermediary detection indicates off-road conditions, thereby reducing overall system complexity
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system switches between gaze-based and contact-based monitoring, then it can handle both on-road and off-road conditions, but the determination logic becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system is segmented into distinct functional modules: a steering wheel movement detection module, a gaze direction detection module, and a determination module. Each module handles specific aspects of monitoring, and the determination logic simply integrates outputs from these segmented modules based on predefined criteria, making the overall complex system manageable through modular design
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables effective monitoring of driver attention in both autonomous and manual vehicle modes, ensuring safe operation by accurately determining attention levels even in off-road conditions and when the occupant is partially obscured, thereby preventing accidents and improving vehicle control.
Implementation Method 1
receive a gaze signal indicative of a direction of a gaze of an occupant of the vehicle, said gaze signal being determined in dependence on image data relating to at least a portion of the occupant, the image data being output by at least one imaging means
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention provide a control system for a vehicle, the vehicle (800) being operable in an at least partly autonomous mode and a manual mode, the control system comprising input means (291, 292) for receiving a gaze signal (211) indicative of a direction of a gaze of an occupant of the vehicle (800), and a contact signal (212) indicative of physical contact between the occupant and a control of the vehicle, control means (250, 260, 270, 280, 290) configured to determine an estimate of the occupant's attention to a driving task in the at least partly autonomous mode in dependence on the gaze signal (211) and to determine when the occupant is at least partly obscured relative to the at least one imaging means (150, 220), wherein the control means (250, 260, 270, 280, 290) is configured to determine the estimate of the occupant's attention to the driving task in dependence on the contact signal when it is determined that the occupant is at least partly obscured.